The Cozy Cookbook is here! 
This Garlic Bread with Cheese is made with French Bread, a delicious garlic butter mixture, and is topped with Parmesan and Mozzarella Cheese. Plus a secret ingredient that takes this recipe up to restaurant quality!
Be sure to serve this with some Pink Sauce Pasta, and try my Pizza Dip recipe next!
Garlic Bread With Cheese
Did you think I could possibly post a recipe for garlic bread without adding cheese to it?! Never.
I am excited to share with you a secret ingredient that gives this garlic bread a little extra something. See if you can spot it below, then check out my PRO tips, how to freeze it to bake another day, reheating instructions, etc. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- French Bread: The best choice when it comes to garlic bread.
- Butter: High-quality salted butter is best for this recipe. I like to use Cabot or Land O’ Lakes.
- Fresh Garlic: The fresher the better, minced yourself at home.
- Cheese: Parmesan and Mozzarella shredded/grated at home from a block is best for taste and texture.
- Italian Salad Dressing: Optional, but it takes this right up to restaurant quality. I use Olive Garden salad dressing which you can also make at home.
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Slice the bread in half to create two thinner pieces of equal size.
- Combine room temperature butter, minced garlic, 1 cup Mozzarella cheese, and Italian Salad Dressing. Spread it evenly over each slice of bread. Top with Parmesan, then with remaining 2 cups of Mozzarella.
- Bake at 350° for 10 minutes, then increase heat to 450° and baked until the top begins to brown, up to 8 more minutes.
- Cut into 1-inch slices, garnish with parsley, and serve with pasta, soup, or homemade marinara sauce.
Why is my Garlic Bread Soggy
- Garlic bread that sits too long before being baked or that is cooked at a temperature that is too low can become soggy.
- For this recipe we’ll bake it at 350° until the cheese is melted (10 minutes), then increase the heat to 450° for the remainder of the baking time, about 8 more minutes, or until it begins to brown on the top. Watch it carefully to ensure it doesn’t burn.
- I like to use a thick 1lb. loaf of French bread so that I can slice it in half and still have two pieces that are thick enough to hold up underneath the garlic butter spread and cheese.
Freezer Garlic Bread
This recipe can be prepared ahead of time to freeze and serve later.
- Prepare the bread as outlined and cut it into slices. (Don’t bake it.) Flash freeze it for 40 minutes. Transfer it to an airtight freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
- When ready to serve, bake it at 350° until the cheese is melted, (about 13 minutes). Then increase heat to 450° and bake until the top begins to brown, (up to 8 more minutes).
Pro Tips
- French Bread is the best kind to use for this recipe. It has crispy outer crust which allows it to hold up well, and it’s soft in the middle which is perfect for absorbing the cheesy garlic butter spread!
- Use fresh garlic instead of jarred, it tastes much better! If the garlic clove isn’t fresh it may turn a blueish green color when it bakes. This is from the acid in the Italian dressing. It’s still safe to eat.
- Shred/grate your own Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese from a block, it tastes and melts much better.
- Use high-quality ingredients for this recipe. I like to use Cabot or Land O’ Lakes Butter.
Storage
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheating
- To reheat garlic bread, simply wrap it in foil and bake it at 350° until heated through, about 10 minutes for refrigerated or 15-20 minutes for frozen.
- To reheat it in the microwave, turn the power down to around 40% and reheat with a cover over it for 1 minute or so. If the bread gets too hot, it will lose its texture and become very chewy.
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- Garlic Twister– Freshly minced garlic tastes much better. This twister minces it very quickly and is easy to store.
- Box Cheese Grater -You’ll always get the best results from shredding/grating the cheese from a block.
- Pizza Cutter Rocker Blade -Makes it easy to cut nice clean slices.
- Light Baking Sheets
- Olive Garden Salad Dressing– Tastes great with this recipe.
What to Serve With Garlic Bread
-
- Lasagna Roll Ups
-
- Baked Ravioli
-
- The Best Meat Sauce
-
- Baked Meatballs
-
- Caprese Pasta
-
- Pink Sauce Pasta
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Tried This Recipe?
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Garlic Bread With Cheese
This Garlic Bread with Cheese is made with French Bread, a delicious garlic butter mixture, and is topped with Parmesan and Mozzarella Cheese.
Ingredients
- 1 loaf French bread, about 1 lb.
- 1 stick salted butter, at room temperature
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup Italian salad dressing
- 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- Fresh Parsley, to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Combine the butter, garlic, Italian salad dressing, and 1 cup of the Mozzarella cheese in a large bowl until well incorporated.
- Slice the French bread in half lengthwise and spread the top of each half with equal amounts of garlic butter.
- Place the halves on a baking sheet, butter side up. Top with Parmesan cheese, then with remaining Mozzarella.
- Bake for 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
- Increase heat to 450° and bake for up to 8 additional minutes, until the top begins to brown. Keep an eye on it during this time.
- Remove and cut into 1-inch slices. Garnish with parsley and serve with pasta, soup, or homemade marinara sauce.
Notes
Pro Tips
Storage Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheating
Freezer Garlic Bread This recipe can be prepared ahead of time to freeze and serve later.
- French Bread is the best kind to use for this recipe. It has a crispy outer crust which allows it to hold up well, and it's soft in the middle which is perfect for absorbing the cheesy garlic butter spread!
- Use fresh garlic instead of jarred, it tastes much better! If the garlic clove isn't fresh it may turn a blueish green color when it bakes. This is from the acid in the Italian dressing. It's still safe to eat.
- Shred/grate your own Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese from a block, it tastes and melts much better.
- Use high-quality ingredients for this recipe. I like to use Cabot or Land O' Lakes Butter.
Storage Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheating
- To reheat garlic bread, simply wrap it in foil and bake it at 350° until heated through, about 10 minutes for refrigerated or 15-20 minutes for frozen.
- To reheat it in the microwave, turn the power down to around 40% and reheat with a cover over it for 1 minute or so. If the bread gets too hot, it will lose its texture and become very chewy.
Freezer Garlic Bread This recipe can be prepared ahead of time to freeze and serve later.
- Prepare the bread as outlined and cut it into 1-inch slices. (Don't bake it.) Flash freeze it for 40 minutes. Transfer it to an airtight freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
- When ready to serve, bake it at 350° until the cheese is melted, (about 13 minutes). Then increase heat to 450° and bake until the top begins to brown, (up to 8 more minutes).
Nutrition
Calories: 203kcal, Carbohydrates: 15g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 33mg, Sodium: 372mg, Potassium: 59mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 332IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 140mg, Iron: 1mg
Did you try this recipe?Mention @TheCozyCook on Instagram or tag #thecozycook!
This was delicious! I often don’t like cheesy garlic bread because of the taste of mayonnaise. This recipe uses Italian dressing instead and it’s delicious!! We dipped it in marinara sauce for a perfect cheesy breadstick type side dish. We’ll definitely be making it again!
I’m so happy it was a hit Jessica! Marinara sauce for dipping is perfect. Thanks so much for the review!🩷
Purchased some bread from cob s bakery and made this bread minus a little of the garlic because my daughter is a little finicky. My husband said it was restaurant grade. It was enjoyed by all. The dressing is a great addition, and I will use leftovers on salad. Thank you for the recipe!
I am sooo happy to hear that Lisa!!! Sounds like you definitely did the recipe proud! Thank you!!!
My go to recipe for every time I make garlic bread.
I’m so happy you’re enjoying it Diamond! It’s my go to as well, especially during the holidays. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!💖
This was easy and light, i didn’t have tortellini so I just used another pasta. The dressing was really good to!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks so much!
Made with the stuffed shells and the dinner was delicious. Loved the little zip the Italian dressing added.
Perfect meal with stuffed shells Norma, I love that you enjoyed the Italian dressing addition😋 Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!
I’ve never made this style of garlic bread before. We really liked it but I thought it got too done at 475 so I would decrease the cooking time but it was very goood
So happy to hear that you loved the garlic bread Victoria!!
This is amazing! I accidentally put the parm into the butter mixture (doing too many things at the same time) and it was still great!
I’m so happy this still worked out Kimberly. I totally know what you mean about doing too many things at the same time. I’ve made some pretty epic mistakes in the kitchen! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!💖
Hi Stephanie,
I made this recipe a year or so ago and it was so incredible. It was demolished before dinner was even served and I made 4 loaves! It has been my go to garlic bread from then on. ❤️😊thank you!
I want to make this to go with Christmas dinner this year and I’m worried about oven space and time because I’m bringing it somewhere else. Meaning I know a lot of people are going to need the oven so I need to figure out a way to utilize their oven in a timely manner.
Do you think I can par-bake this at my house and then finish it at the other person’s home? Is this at all possible to do without sacrificing taste and quality?
Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Happy Holidays and thank you again for improving my Garlic bread game exponentially 😬🧄
Dana
Hi Dana If you par-bake, you may run the risk of having soggy bread. I wouldn’t be able to say for sure without testing it first 🙁
This was amazing! I used my own homemade Italian dressing and it was so good! I’m making it again tonight for my in-laws along with the Skillet Lasagna (which is also amazing btw)! I used low moisture mozzarella the first time but I just have regular mozzarella right now, do you suggest low moisture or is regular ok? Thanks for all of your wonderful and delicious recipes!
Hi Kami! I am so happy that you love the garlic bread and the skillet lasagna, what a perfect meal to make for your in-laws!! Low Moisture mozzarella definitely melts better and is less “wet”, but regular can be used! You just won’t get the same smooth melt! 🙂
I had never made garlic bread like this, but so glad I now have a go to recipe. I substituted Italian loaf instead of a French loaf. Thank you for helping me update my weekly meals!
You’re very welcome Mary, it’s my pleasure! I’m so happy to hear the blog has been helping you with your weekly meals. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and leave a review!💕
Excellent bread. Made with the Bobby Flay meatballs. The only issues I had was getting the cheese to brown. I baked as directed and then finally turned on the broiler to brown. Any suggestions?
Hi Gail! I’m so happy that you enjoyed the bread and the meatballs!! When I make this, I use low moisture, whole milk mozzarella and shred it from a block. It browns up nicely, but fresh mozzarella or bagged shredded cheese may not.